Senior Virgin Atlantic pilot David Williams, 47, was praised by passengers after carrying out a 'text-book' landing of the US-bound Boeing 747 after one out of its five sets of wheels failed.

Emergency services were scrambled to Gatwick airport, West Sussex, as the plane made an emergency landing having spent three hours circling the south of England dumping fuel.

Capt Williams issued a statement via Virgin Atlantic saying: "All of our pilots at Virgin Atlantic are trained to the highest standards and we go through regular testing to deal with any scenario that may arise.

"Clearly this was an out of the ordinary landing but I was just doing my job and any one of our pilots would have taken the same actions.

"I'm really proud of my colleagues on the ground and in the air and the support they gave me during this event - everyone worked really hard in a difficult situation and we are delighted that our customers were able totravel to Las Vegas the next day for their New Year's Eve celebrations.

"Thank you for your interest and I hope you can respect my request for privacy as I am keen to spend some private time with my family over the New Year."

It is believed that Capt Williams' 12-year-old daughter was a passenger on the Boeing 747 involved in Monday's emergency landing.

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Today was no sign of him at the red-tiled, £600,000 farm cottage in the village of Loxwood, near Horsham, West Sussex, which he shares with wife Hannah and their three young children, two boys and a girl.

A male friend, turned up at the property this morning, and said that Mr Williams would not be returning home before removing bags from the house and locking it up.

Close neighbours Colin and Jean Lightman described Mr Williams as a 'perfect neighbour' but said they were not surprised that he did not want any publicity about his heroics,

Jean said: "When I saw the news about the landing at Gatwick, I instantly wondered whether it was our David at the controls.

"I knew he was a pilot with Virgin Atlantic and did long-haul flights.

"I'm not surprised it was him. He's a very calm, competent individual.

"His family are lovely.

"He and his wife and both church-goers and he is a governor at the local school.

"They are very involved with the local community."

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Mrs Lightman said that she believed Mr Williams was a modest man who would not want to make a big deal of his actions.

She added: "Although he is quite friendly he's also a private man.

"It does not surprise me that he does not want any publicity

"He would have thought that he was just doing his job."

Pilot David Williams

Mr Lightman added: "We'll have to crack open the bubbly now that we have a hero living next door."

Mr Williams' friend Simon Bates, who lives a short distance from his home, today declined to comment on his pals' bravery.

On Monday he exclusively told the Mirror: "David's a hero but it's just his job. It's no surprise to me at all. What he did was very typical of him."

He later posted on Facebook: "He's a typical pilot. Calm and considered.

You don't get to do that job unless you are laid back and intelligent.

"Proud of him for doing his job though, and very glad nobody was hurt!"